


Mine Eyes Dazzle

by m_lucien



Series: Forever and a Day [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, M/M, Romance, Vampires, a teeny weeny bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-23 09:46:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20006266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m_lucien/pseuds/m_lucien
Summary: Arthur learns what it means to be a creature of the night.





	Mine Eyes Dazzle

Arthur wouldn’t feed.

He reposed on the settee; his hands rested on his stomach whilst he fixed his gaze on the clock. There was gauntness about his visage–his eyes bulged and his cheeks sunken.

“You must feed, Arthur,” Merlin said, his brows pulled together in a frown.

Arthur merely glanced at him before he returned to his scrutiny of the clock. Almost as if he’s willing time to go back.

Merlin pursed his lips. Knowing Arthur, he probably was. And it _hurt_.

He wanted this, didn’t he? Arthur was the one who _constantly_ insisted upon it. He was–.

Merlin shook his head. There’s no point in dwelling in these thoughts.

It was no one’s fault, really. On the night of Arthur’s reawakened as a creature of the night, Merlin took him to the streets to feed. It wasn’t difficult to find someone to prey on–the poor and homeless roamed around London aimlessly. The poor was the perfect prey. They were those who won’t be noticed nor missed. Usually, Merlin loved to challenge himself; he would slip into parties of the rich and there he would drink from a lady or two and of course, there was the occasional gentleman. However, that night was not the time for challenges–his fledgling _needs_ to feed.

Merlin led Arthur to one of the alleyways. It was dark and had they been mere humans, they would not be able to see the man lurking in the shadows. He wore dirtied and rumpled clothes which hang off of his frame and there was a wild look about him as he waited for unsuspecting passersby to mug. His pulse grew quicker at the sight of Arthur and Merlin. His grip tightened around something inside the pocket of his trousers. A pocket knife.

He meant to kill them both and take whatever possessions they have on them.

But Merlin knew his intentions–the very reason why he chose the man. Desperate people tasted the best, after all. He peered at Arthur’s face and saw hesitation in his eyes, but there was also sheer hunger behind it. Arthur _wanted_ the man–wanted to consume the blood which flowed in his veins; and yet his human nature prevented him.

Vampires had no need for human nature. It was meaningless to them.

Merlin drew Arthur closer to him. “Him.” He whispered, his lips brushing the shell of Arthur’s ear. “Drain him dry.”

There was a dazed look about Arthur’s face, no doubt captivated by the seductive scent of blood. He was about to move forward when he stopped and turned to Merlin. “Let’s get out of here.” He breathed, his voice shaking.

“Take him,” Merlin replied. “And do it quickly.”

For a moment, Arthur looked like he intended to resist again, but then he moved towards the man with the intent of a predator. The man drew back, there was terror on his face then and it brought a wonderful flush to his face, Merlin almost wanted him for himself.

“Stay back!” The man cried, brandishing his pocket knife. “I will kill you!”

It was laughable. A man raging war against a monster. Hilarious.

Merlin chuckled under his breath just as the man lunged at Arthur, driving the pocket knife to his chest. There was a brief triumph on the man’s features as Arthur looked down at the protruding hilt of the knife on his chest, but it slowly morphed to horror when Arthur drew it out and threw it away.

The man took a few staggering steps backwards, both of his arms outstretched in defense. He began shouting then–cries of help that no one will answer. After all, who cares for the poor in London?

Merlin watched with fascination as Arthur grabbed the man by neck and pulled him flush against his body. The man struggled like a wild animal in captivity just as Arthur slid his right hand through his hair and then down his face. The blood flowing through the man called to him–and he answered it. He lifted the man suddenly and plunged his teeth into his neck. The man weakly pushed at Arthur’s chest even as his blood, the very substance that gives him life, poured into the vampire.

Drunk on the taste of blood, Arthur pushed the man away from his body before he ripped off the man’s head from his neck. Blood oozed from the stump and Arthur latched himself to it. Merlin stopped him just as he was about to tear the arms from the body.

“He’s dead, Arthur. We can’t drink the blood of the dead.” Merlin said, taking in the state of his lover. Arthur was a mess, for lack of better words. There was a wild look about his face and his lips and chin were stained with blood. His cravat and sleeves were covered with splatters of blood. The very image of a newborn vampire. “Are you going to bring the head home?” He asked, seeing the tight grip that Arthur had on the hair of the decapitated head.

Arthur looked at him as if he had no idea what he said. He held up his arm, saw the head, and dropped it with a cry. He stared with horror at the man’s body. He brought his hands to cover his face and then he let out a sob.

Merlin touched his arm. “It’s alright, Arthur.” He tried to console him, but Arthur was having none of it.

Arthur tore away from Merlin’s touch. “I killed him!” He cried, anguished. He dug his fingers into his hair, tugging at it. “Killed the man!”

“No one will miss him. Don’t worry about it.”

“You don’t understand. I’m a monster!”

Silence.

Merlin narrowed his eyes at him. “Yes, and you chose to be one.” He advanced towards Arthur. “ _This_ is what it means to be a vampire. I foolishly thought you knew this before I turned you,” he spat.

Arthur didn’t say anything and so, Merlin left him there.

It’s been three nights since then.

Merlin bit on his thumb as he tapped his fingers on the table repeatedly. He’s at a lost and doesn’t know how to deal with this situation. Sure, he was repulsed by the act of killing for the first few nights, but he recognized the need to feed. Arthur was too noble for killing.

He sighed, slouching in his seat. He can’t very well tell his lover to drink from rats like that fellow he met in Paris a few years back. Unless…

“You don’t have to kill to feed, you know.” This earned him a look from Arthur. On the right track then. “There’s this acquaintance of mine who drank blood from multiple people in a night without killing any of them.”

Arthur sat then. “Is that true?”

Merlin nodded. “He called it ‘The Little Drink’.” He watched his fledgling as he took in this information. There was a change in Arthur’s countenance and he knew then that he succeeded.

Arthur looked at him with a hint of shyness in his movement. “Shall we go out?”

Merlin grinned, his fangs glinting against the candles’ light. “Thought you’d never ask.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have been busy these past few days, looking for a job. (I just graduated from university, you see.) I was so stressed out, so I decided to give myself a break and wrote this thingy.
> 
> Anyway, I would love to hear what you think about this!
> 
> P. S. As you can see, there are references to Louis and Lestat. That's because I love them!


End file.
